Skopje, 3 February 2022 (MIA) – Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi and UNDP Resident Representative Armen Grigoryan met Thursday to discuss the green agenda, ways to improve the decentralization process and eradicate gray economy. “Regarding the green agenda, it is important that North Macedonia is one of the top nine countries in the world to be awarded by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) fund over the financing of green projects to improve air quality and the fight against climate change,” the Finance Ministry said. The project ensures easier access to financing projects on renewable energy and energy efficiency for households and small and medium-sized enterprises. The project will be implemented by UNDP, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in partnership with EBRD. Regarding the fight against gray economy, a campaign has been launched to raise awareness about the importance of reducing the informal economy. Regarding ways to improve fiscal decentralization, two new funds have been established - Performance Fund and Equalization Fund aimed at strengthening the fiscal capacity and increasing the revenues of municipalities. In 2021, a cooperation memorandum with UNDP was signed to improve and support reforms in public finance management. “During the meeting, Besimi and Grigoryan also discussed further activities involving these reforms,” said the press release.